Ripasso

In northeast Italy in Valpolicella country, they produce a wine that’s very interesting. It’s called “Ripasso”. A standard Valpolicella, made mainly from Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara (trend is to use less) and several other varieties, is put on the dried skins of Amarone and refermented. The resulting wine falls somewhere between a Valpolicella and Amarone in character. Taking on many of the nuances of Amarone, it’s richer and more powerful with higher alcohol. It was the Italian producer Masi who came up with the concept back in 1964 in a wine called “Campofiorin. Today, may producers create this style of wine and it is very popular because it’s not as expensive as Amarone, but still provides much of its character.